“I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out.”

Romans 7:15-18

Table of contents

Introduction

Frontispiece and four scenes from the life of Saint John Gualbert

These profound words by St. Paul express the struggle between the desire to do good and the inability to carry it out, due to the power of sin within human nature. When he does what he hates, his very hatred of those actions shows his agreement with the law, that is, with God’s moral standards. The problem, then, is not the law itself, but the sin within us.

The fact that we wrestle with wrongdoing shows that something within still yearns for the good. This is our conscience, our inner sense of right and wrong. The word derives from the Latin conscientia, meaning “with knowing”, an inner co-awareness, as if both you and some inner witness recognise the truth of your actions. Thus, when you do wrong, you feel guilt—not merely because of external judgment, but because something deep inside your heart, knows it too.

Inner Split and Sin

The misalignment between our intentions and our actions is part of our daily life. For example, we may know that we love someone deeply, yet find ourselves acting with wrath towards that person. We want to be humble, but fall into pride. We intend to work hard or study, but give in to sloth. This lack of self-control reveals an inner split, an age-old problem that lies at the heart of the human condition. It is more than mere weakness; it is a symptom of sin. But sin is not just the breaking of moral rules. It is a rupture in our very being, a loss of inner harmony. Since this condition is something we all share, it cannot merely be seen as a personal sickness but as a universal aspect of the human condition.

The concept of sin as disobedience to God’s revealed law originates in Judaism, and later extended and developed in Christianity and Islam. By contrast, in traditions such as ancient Egyptian religion, Taoism, and Vedic Hinduism, sin is understood less as a personal moral failing and more as a disruption of cosmic harmony.

Hubris, Hamartia, Akrasia

In ancient Greek thought, “sin” was understood primarily as a disruption of cosmic, social or divine order. Hubris, a central theme in Greek tragedy and mythology, describes humans overstepping their limits through excessive pride or defiance of the gods. For example, Icarus shows hubris by flying too close to the sun despite his father’s warning, leading to his fall and death. Mortals who claim superiority over gods in skill also display hubris. To restore balance, Nemesis, the goddess of retribution, punishes such transgressions with downfall or disgrace.

In Poetics, Aristotle describes the tragic flaw or error in judgment that leads to the hero’s downfall as hamartia, which literally means “missing the mark”—like an archer missing a target. This emphasises that the flaw is not necessarily a vice but rather a mistake born of ignorance. Hubris is a common form of hamartia, because it represents a deviation from virtue, which Aristotle defines as the “golden mean” between deficiency and excess. In this case, the golden mean is healthy self-respect; the deficiency is insecurity; and the excess is hubris. Rather than a moral failure, missing the mark reflects the inescapable ignorance inherent in human existence.

In the Nicomachaen Ethics, Aristotle develops the concept of akrasia, which means “weakness of will”, or “lack of self-control”. It describes someone who knows what is right but is overcome by desire, does what is worse, and subsequently feels regret. He calls such a man “incontinent”, distinguishing him from the “vicious man”, who also does wrong but does not feel remorse for his actions. However, Aristotle believed that this weakness could be overcome through education and self-discipline. By cultivating phronesis (practical wisdom), developing good habits (“we are what we repeatedly do”), and practising virtue, one can strengthen the will and act in accordance with reason.

St. Paul: Flesh and Spirit

Unlike many Greek philosophers, who trust reason to overcome appetite (our untamed desires), St. Paul emphasises that human reason and effort alone are insufficient for true freedom from sin. Instead, liberation depends on divine grace, with complete freedom from sin only fully realised in the afterlife. The inner conflict is between flesh and spirit, a lifelong journey of aligning our will with God’s will. Our ability to deviate from God’s will comes from our fallen nature, which pulls us away from the spirit, the divine presence within us guiding us towards God.

The persistent difficulty, weakness, or suffering that St. Paul experiences is what he calls his “thorn in the flesh.”

The Meaning of Sin: To Miss the Mark

In the Old Testament, several Hebrew words refer to sin, but the most common is chatta’ah, which means “to miss the mark.” This term predates the Greek hamartia, and may trace its roots through oral tradition as far back as the 10^th century BC or earlier. Sin is understood as a moral failure, a deviation from God’s will that causes people to lose their way. It is also described in terms of rebellion, transgression, disobedience, ignorance and ritual uncleanliness.

The word sin first appears in Genesis 4:7, when God warns Cain: “If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you.” Here, sin is depicted as a lurking presence, patiently waiting to catch someone, like a predator.

In the New Testament, the most common word for sin is the Greek hamartia, which retains the basic meaning of its Hebrew counterpart, rather than reflecting the Aristotelian concept of a tragic flaw. However, there is a significant shift in emphasis towards the inner attitude, an emphasis anticipated in God’s promise of a new covenant in the Old Testament, where the law would be written on the heart. Sin is no longer limited to outward acts like theft, murder, or adultery, nor to harmful speech such as lying, gossip, or blasphemy. Instead, as Lord Jesus taught in the Sermon on the Mount, sin begins in the heart: in our thoughts, desires, and intentions. The law, therefore, is internalised, revealing that the true battleground lies within the self. In this way, theology and psychology become inseparable in understanding the nature of human sin.

Types of Sin

Expulsion of Adam and Eve (1791) – Benjamin West

The classic story of sin entering the world begins when the serpent tempts Eve, and both she and Adam disobey God by eating the forbidden fruit. This primal act of prideful disobedience, the desire to become like God, shatters their trust with God. As a result, they are expelled from Paradise, and this event introduces original sin, the fallen state inherited by all humanity.

Deviation from divinity is archetypally understood as the most ancient and grievous sin, symbolising humanity’s tendency to stray from the right path. According to St. Augustine of Hippo, the effect of original sin is concupiscence, the disordered desire that inclines humans to sin. As subtly as we are led towards the good, we are also led into the bad just as often. Temptation and the influence of dark forces are mingled willy-nilly into our daily lives. This leads us to commit personal sin, our daily choices that turn us away from what is good, true, and loving. These choices create separation, not only from God, but also from others and even from ourselves.

Carl Jung writes:

“Men would never have talked of sin and the forgiveness of sin had this not been a fundamental psychological fact that existed long before there were any laws. Deviation from the will of the gods was a preoccupation of humanity even in primeval times.”

C.G. Jung, Letters, Vol. I (1906-1950)

Personal sin can be further divided into sins of commission (doing something wrong intentionally) and sins of omission (failing to do something good, such as not helping someone in serious danger). Depending on its seriousness and intent, sin can either be venial or mortal. Venial sins are less serious offences that weaken our relationship with God, but do not break it. Mortal sins, however, are grave violations that completely sever our bond with God.

For a sin to be mortal, three conditions must be met: it must involve a grave matter, be committed with full knowledge of its seriousness, and be carried out with deliberate consent. Mortal sin leads to spiritual death, which is far worse than physical death, as it brings about eternal separation from God’s love—what is called hell.

“Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear Him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.”

Matthew 10:28

The Worst Sins

The Seven Deadly Sins and the Four Last Things – Hieronymus Bosch

The seven deadly sins—lust, greed, gluttony, sloth, wrath, envy, and pride—are well known in Christian tradition, with pride often seen as the worst, responsible for the fall of Lucifer and Adam and Eve. Hence the proverb, “Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall.” However, the Bible does not explicitly list these sins together. Instead, it presents a slightly different list of seven sins detestable to God, with the last being considered the worst of all. These are:

“haughty eyes [arrogance and pride], a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked schemes, feet that are quick to rush into evil, a false witness who pours out lies [slander], and a person who stirs up conflict in the community.”

Proverbs 6:17-19

According to Christ, every sin can be forgiven except blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. This is the one “unforgivable sin”, because it represents a total, hardened rejection of God’s offer of salvation.

In Dante’s Inferno, those who commit violence, fraud, and treachery are sent to the deepest and most terrible parts of hell. These sins involve deliberate harm to others, showing a conscious decision to do evil despite knowing better. In contrast, the self-indulgent (people who give in to their desires without intending to harm others) receive less severe punishments, since their wrongdoing stems from a lack of self-control rather than deliberate malice.

The Vicious Cycle of Sin

The story of Adam and Eve reflects the universal human condition and helps us understand our own struggles with sin. After eating the forbidden fruit, they became aware of their nakedness and felt deep shame for the first time. This new self-awareness led them to cover themselves and hide from God, showing how sin introduces fear and separation in our relationship with the divine. When God found them, instead of taking responsibility, Adam quickly shifted the blame onto Eve, who in turn blamed the serpent for deceiving her. After God punished them and drove them out of paradise, they experienced guilt.

Similarly, when we sin, we feel the pangs of conscience, and guilt sets in. Guilt affects the soul much like pain affects the body. It is the debt incurred by our acts of sin, and somehow that debt must be paid. Instead of facing our guilt, many of us try to hide our mistakes or shift blame onto others, avoiding responsibility. We place the ego at the centre of our lives and hide our guilt beneath our pride. We resist God’s authority, as obedience to a higher power feels like a loss of autonomy. So, we chase the illusion of total freedom—the right to do whatever we please—including indulgence in all sorts of sins, which deepens the division within ourselves.

Rather than confronting our sins, we often escape into pleasure and distraction to numb the emptiness we feel inside. This pursuit of temporary comfort can easily spiral into addiction, an inability to stop engaging in something harmful to us. When we move through life without addressing our emotional turmoil, it becomes repressed, pushing unacknowledged emotions and desires into the unconscious. This, in turn, leads to further sin, creating a vicious cycle. The longer we remain trapped in this cycle, the harder it becomes to break free. Sin blinds you until, eventually, you no longer recognise your actions as sinful, they simply become what you do. Hell is that state of mind which has abandoned itself so completely to a given sin that it cannot act independently of that sin.

What once promised freedom has become a prison. Claiming to be wise, we became fools. Not only do our relationships with others suffer, but we also become isolated from our very soul. We become spiritually dead, and lose everything that once gave life meaning and purpose.

The Cry of the Soul for Growth

Anything that increases the gap between our actions and our intentions deepens our inner conflict and makes us feel worse. Anything that helps reduce the conflict brings healing. This struggle arises from the awareness that two opposing forces exist within us, each pulling in different directions. As Goethe wrote in Faust, “Two souls, alas! reside within my breast, and each withdraws from, and repels, its brother.”

When this inner conflict becomes too intense, it leads to suffering. It is the “cry of the soul for growth”, the suffering of a soul that has not yet discovered its meaning. Suffering is not an illness; it is the natural counterpart to happiness. We should not try to cure it, because it cures us. We should not try to get rid of it, but to experience what it means, what it has to teach us, and what its purpose is. Without meaningful suffering, there would be no self-knowledge, and hence no increase of consciousness. Jung writes:

“The boon of increased self-awareness is the sufficient answer even to life’s suffering, otherwise it would be meaningless and unendurable.”

C.G. Jung, Letters, Vol. II (1951-1961)

We should even be grateful for our suffering, though that is the last thing we feel when we are in pain. We are not used to looking at it that way. Only in time, we come to recognise its true value.

When we feel inner conflict, we often turn to distraction: entertainment, work, or constant activity, not to find happiness, but to avoid sitting with ourselves. Ironically, this leaves us feeling even more miserable.

“People will do anything, no matter how absurd, to avoid facing their own souls.”

Carl Jung, C.W. Vol. 12: Psychology and Alchemy

Neurosis: State of Disunity

The denial of our inner division causes repression, which leads to neurosis, a psychological crisis caused by a state of disunity with oneself. Neurosis arises from a conflict between our conscious attitude and our unconscious contents; it serves as a means for the unconscious to make itself heard. Neurosis is the flight from authentic suffering, which can lead to emptiness or a loss of meaning in life. We all suffer. But you can suffer authentically or not.

“[E]very psychic advance of man arises from the suffering of the soul, and the cause of the suffering is spiritual stagnation, or psychic sterility.”

C.G. Jung, C.W. Vol. 11: Psychology and Religion

A neurosis can be a blessing in disguise, because it forces us to confront the parts of ourselves that we have neglected. Marie-Louise von Franz stated:

“A depression is a blessing of God… it is the greatest blessing somebody can have. Jung always talked about the blessing of a neurosis because it is the only way you are tempted to look within. As long as things go well, you run away from yourself. Or most people do.”

Marie Louise von Franz, Interview with Suzanne Wagner (1977)

Projection, Shadow, Sin

What we deny in ourselves does not disappear—it is projected onto others, showing up in how we judge or blame people. The shadow is the hidden or repressed side of our personality that holds feelings we reject. Sin is what happens when these hidden parts show up in ways that go against moral rules or our conscience. When we stay unaware of our shadow, it disrupts our behaviour and causes harm. The shadow is the wounded part of the psyche expressing itself. But it is also where healing begins, if we dare to face it.

“None of us stands outside humanity’s black collective shadow. Whether the crime occurred many generations back or happens today, it remains the symptom of a disposition that is always and everywhere present—and one would therefore do well to possess some “imagination for evil”, for only the fool can permanently disregard the conditions of his own nature. In fact, this negligence is the best means of making him an instrument of evil. Harmlessness and naivety are as little helpful as it would be for a cholera patient and those in his vicinity to remain unconscious of the contagiousness of the disease. On the contrary, they lead to projection of the unrecognised evil into the “other” … What is even worse, our lack of insight deprives us of the capacity to deal with evil.”

Carl Jung, C.W. Vol. 10: Civilisation in Transition

When negative aspects of ourselves are not recognised as belonging to us on the inside, they appear to act against us on the outside. Most of our struggles come from within. Projection occurs unconsciously, with certain people acting as “hooks” for what we fear or reject in ourselves. We see ourselves as innocent, and blame the “other.” But projections distort reality—they spin the illusions that veil our world. And what is being spun is a cocoon, which in the end will completely envelop us.

“Projections change the world into the replica of one’s unknown face.”

Carl Jung, C.W. Vol. 9.2: Aion

In a strict sense, one can only speak of a projection when there is a disturbance, such as repeated quarrels, persistent misunderstandings or idealisation. That disturbance is the very symptom signalling, “Now is the time to reflect.” The key question becomes, “Why does this person provoke such strong feelings in me?”

Projection involves unconsciously throwing your inner contents onto others in the outer world. Reflection is only achieved when you truly see in yourself that quality which either irritates you or fascinates you in the other, allowing you to reclaim and integrate it. When you withdraw these projections and acknowledge that the true source of conflict is within, you become conscious of your inner split and the healing process can begin. This is one of the most essential steps in individuation.

Anything we can name; we can deal with—and that is absolutely crucial. If we are conscious of our sins, we can strive to become more virtuous. The encounter with the shadow comes about of its own accord in any deep inner work. The open conflict it provokes is unavoidable and painful. We cannot force a solution to this inner conflict; instead, we must patiently hold the tension, with patience and fortitude, until, in time, a resolution emerges, though it cannot be predicted.

Sin must be carried consciously, so it doesn’t carry us. Jung writes:

“My sin has become for me my most precious task. I would never leave it to anybody else in order to appear a saint in my own eyes, always knowing what is good for others.”

C.G. Jung, Letters, Vol. II (1951-1961)

To reject sin is to reject our brother, our shadow—the imperfect being within who follows us and acts out the very things we are too cowardly or too decent to do. To deny him, is to deny ourselves, and this brings inner conflict and unrest.

Sin Against Your Own Individuality

When a person complains that he is always on bad terms with the people whom he loves, and that there are terrible scenes and resistances between them, you will see that he is almost possessed by anger. He has substituted his self-identity with the other person. Naturally there will be resistances because you cannot live for the other person, it is not only a violation the principle of individuality for that person, but it is also a sin against your own individuality.

These conflicts are important instincts: you have resistances and disappointments so that you may become finally conscious of yourself. If a person understands this, he will agree and not worry. He knows when he loves that soon he will hate. Therefore, he will laugh when he is going uphill and weep when he is going downhill. He will realise the paradox of life—that he cannot be perfect, and he cannot always be one with himself. It is our ideal to be one, but that is impossible and one-sided, the goal is not perfection but wholeness.

Sins You Deny, Control You

The Temptation of Saint Anthony – Michelangelo (based on Martin Schongauer’s engraving)

The sins you deny end up controlling you. Sin cannot be conquered by willpower alone. True repentance requires humility, but many are not willing to give up their pride or surrender to a higher power. Humility is not thinking less of yourself, but thinking of yourself less. When we cling to our illusions of independence, believing we can save ourselves or, worse, justify our sinfulness—we end up in despair. When one attempts to overcome sin through sheer willpower, it does not lead to freedom, but to the rise of pride: an inflation of the ego that inevitably causes a fall. And with every sin conquered by willpower, seven spirits of self-righteousness enter to take its place.

“When an impure spirit comes out of a person, it goes through arid places seeking rest and does not find it. Then it says, ‘I will return to the house I left.’ When it arrives, it finds the house unoccupied, swept clean and put in order. Then it goes and takes with it seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there. And the final condition of that person is worse than the first.”

Matthew 12:43-45

The return of even worse spirits shows that when we make positive changes outwardly, without any inner transformation, we leave ourselves vulnerable to greater troubles, having built no strong foundation within. We need to be on guard, to stay alert—to keep watch. Staying spiritually awake means actively guarding the soul through good thoughts, good words, and good deeds; while remaining aware of our weaknesses and the dangers that may creep back in. Without this vigilance, the soul becomes like an empty house: clean, but unguarded and easy to invade.

We must be like the wise man who built his house on the rock. When the rain came, the stream rose, and the winds blew and beat against the house, it did not fall, because its foundation was on the rock.

When we hit rock bottom, there is only one way to go: up. The endurance of darkness is the preparation for great light. This is the stage of purification, known to the alchemists as albedo or “whitening”, the second stage within the Great Work. It is the washing away of impurities that weigh down the soul and bind it in darkness. This liberation is symbolised by the white dove.

Catharsis

Illustration of Purgatory: Lust from Dante’s Divine Comedy – Gustave Doré

Catharsis (or cleansing) was central to the rites of passage in ancient Greek mystery cults, such as those of Eleusis and the Orphic traditions. Initiates underwent a symbolic death and rebirth, which helped them experience self-transformation, overcome the fear of death and suffering, gain insight into life and the cosmos, and prepare the soul for mystical union with the gods.

Aristotle later used the term catharsis as the aim of a tragic play. He saw tragedy as poetic mimesis, an imitation of life not as it is but as it could be, which evokes powerful emotions like pity and dread in the audience. By watching the struggles of fictional characters, the audience is moved to confront these feelings within themselves. In this way, tragedy serves a therapeutic function, allowing people to release inner tension.

Dante viewed Purgatory as a place where souls undergo catharsis, purging their imperfections through a process called contrapasso, where the punishment fits the sin. The suffering mirrors the nature of the sin, helping the soul confront its sins and cultivate the corresponding virtue. The prideful are weighed down by heavy boulders; the envious have their eyelids sewn shut to block their jealous gaze; the wrathful wander in blinding smoke, symbolising the blinding effect of anger, and so on. This aligns with Jung’s concept of enantiodromia, where a one-sided attitude in consciousness eventually triggers its unconscious opposite to restore psychic balance.

The beginnings of psychoanalysis were nothing else than the scientific rediscovery of an old truth. Sigmund Freud and Josef Breuer introduced the idea of catharsis in early psychoanalysis through their joint work, Studies on Hysteria, defining it as the process of bringing repressed trauma into consciousness. By expressing these buried emotions, the root of neurosis, the patient could release inner tension and experience relief. Freud later adopted the phrase “talking cure” from one of Breuer’s patients, a term that became the foundation of psychoanalysis.

The Journey from Brokenness to Wholeness

In Christianity, the way out of the vicious cycle of sin begins with restoring our relationship with God through confession, also known as the Sacrament of Reconciliation, where we honestly admit our wrongdoing. While only mortal sins are required to be confessed, confessing venial sins is also encouraged, as it brings healing and strengthens the soul against the temptation of mortal sin. Psychologically, it is of the highest importance to remain conscious of one’s sins, and mutual confession effectively prevents us from becoming unconscious of them. As Christ said:

“Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.”

James 5:16

The next step is repentance: feeling genuine sorrow for our transgressions and deciding to change for the better. This opens the way for forgiveness through God’s mercy. Afterwards, atonement (or “at-one-ment”) takes place, involving an effort to repair the damage caused by sin, often through prayer, penance, or acts of love. This restores the broken relationship and brings us back into union with God, leading to redemption: the deliverance from sin and the full restoration and healing of the fragmented soul. In this light, one might say that every psychological problem is, at bottom, a spiritual one.

Redemption lies in a complete admission of guilt. In confession and during Mass, one repeats, “mea culpa, mea culpa, mea máxima culpa” (through my fault, through my fault, through my most grievous fault). This honest recognition of one’s faults intensifies the sense of personal responsibility, without evasion or excuse.

In Catholic tradition, the Blessed Virgin Mary is the advocate par excellence of all sinners, for her body was preserved from corruption and assumed into Heaven. In her, the flesh is sanctified, for God took on mortal flesh in her womb. She intercedes for us (that is, she prays to God on our behalf), helping the sinner to see his sins and recognise how his life has been distorted.

Out of honest repentance for sin comes divine grace. This is not only a religious truth but also a psychological one. Throughout this journey we rely on grace, the free and undeserved gift that God gives us at various moments, to help us turn away from sin and grow closer to Him. Where sin is great, “grace did much more abound” (Romans 5:20).

After redemption, we continue in sanctification, the lifelong process of growing in holiness and becoming more like Christ. This spiritual journey is never fully complete in this life but is perfected in heaven, where we attain theosis, or perfect union with God, and experience the beatific vision—the ultimate state of bliss that believers will enter into when they see God face to face.

Christian Spiritual Journey

Illustration from Thenaud’s Traité de la cabale

To summarise the whole process: Sin is the act of wrongdoing, which the conscience recognises, stirring a sense of guilt. Through confession and repentance, we receive forgiveness from God. Atonement restores our relationship with Him, leading to redemption—the healing of our fragmented soul. Throughout this process, God’s grace helps us to turn away from sin and grow spiritually, allowing for sanctification, the lifelong journey of becoming holy, culminating in the attainment of theosis. This is the Christian spiritual journey, where a person moves from inner brokenness towards wholeness and union with God.

The truth that we are all sinners should not lead to unnecessary guilt, but to humility. It is a shared reality that can draw us closer to one another. This is the first step towards transformation.

“If we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.”

1 John 1:18

The Psychology of Confession and Secrets

Confession aims at keeping our sins (or inner conflicts) conscious, and that is also the sine qua non of the psychotherapeutic procedure. Therefore, one has nothing to lose by consulting both a psychologist and a priest, for they complement each other in healing our soul and strengthening our spirit.

Just as a psychologist helps carry a patient’s inner conflicts, in Christianity it is the Saviour, Christ, who bears our sins and heals us through His sacrifice, for “by His wounds we are healed.” Christianity offers a double psychological benefit. First, it helps one remain conscious of inner conflict, namely sin, as the tension between opposing tendencies. In doing so, it prevents a known suffering from being repressed and turning into an unknown one, which is far more tormenting. Second, it allows one to lighten one’s burden by surrendering it to God, to whom all solutions are known. As Christ said, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” Thus, an intimate bond arises between the divine figure and man. Yet man should be bound through love not to God alone, but also to his fellow man.

Jung writes:

“The first beginnings of all analytical treatment are to be found in its prototype, the confessional… As soon as man was capable of conceiving the idea of sin, he had recourse to psychic concealment—or, to put it in analytical language, repressions arose. Anything that is concealed is a secret. In small doses, this poison may actually be a priceless remedy, even an essential preliminary to the differentiation of the individual. This is so much the case that, even on a primitive level, man has felt an irresistible need to invent secrets; their possession saves him from dissolving in the unconsciousness of mere community life, and thus from a fatal psychic injury. As is well known, the many ancient mystery cults with their secret rituals served this instinct for differentiation.”

Carl Jung, Modern Man in Search of a Soul

A private secret can encourage inner development, as long as we are conscious of what we conceal. But if we remain unconscious of it, the secret becomes repressed, hidden even from ourselves. In such cases, it splits off from consciousness as an autonomous complex, leading a separate life in the unconscious, where it cannot be corrected or influenced by the conscious mind. This disconnection gives rise to neuroses.

Every personal secret carries a sense of guilt, even if it isn’t morally wrong. To cherish secrets and to restrain emotions are psychic misdemeanours for which nature finally visits us with sickness, that is, when we do these things in private. But when they are shared with others, they satisfy nature and can become even virtuous. It is only private restraint that proves unhealthy.It is as if humans have a right to see the flawed, foolish, and guilty sides of one another—because these are the very things we hide to protect ourselves.

It seems to be as much a sin in the eyes of nature to hide our weaknesses as it is to be ruled by them. Our conscience demands we stop pretending to be perfect and instead admit our flaws, no matter the blow to our pride. Until we do this, an invisible wall separates us from the real experience of being fully human, of being one among others. This explains the extraordinary significance of genuine confession, a truth likely known to the initiation rites and mystery cults of the ancient world.

“Give up what you have, and then you will receive.” Jung saw this as a fitting motto for the first stage in analytical psychology: confession. One must surrender resistance and fear of the unconscious and begin to observe the images and feelings that naturally arise from within. In doing so, we begin to rediscover what has been repressed or forgotten. Jung writes:

“Painful though it may be, this is in itself a gain—for what is inferior or even worthless belongs to me as my shadow and gives me substance and mass. How can I be substantial if I fail to cast a shadow? I must have a dark side if I am to be whole; and by becoming conscious of my shadow, I remember once more than I am a human being like any other.”

Carl Jung, Modern Man in Search of a Soul

If the rediscovery of one’s wholeness remains private, it simply returns the person to the original source of neurosis: isolation and repression. Even conscious awareness, if kept to oneself, offers only a partial cure, as the state of isolation remains intact. Only through confession can one truly connect with humanity and be freed from the burden of moral exile. The aim of the cathartic method is full confession, not just knowing the facts in your head, but feeling them deeply and the actual release of repressed emotion. As may easily be imagined, the effect of such a confession on simple souls is very great, and its curative results are often astonishing.

Self-knowledge has a healing and liberating effect. Confession, repentance and purification from sin have always been the conditions of salvation. When analysis supports confession, it brings about a kind of renewal. Patients often dream of it as a refreshing bath, or see symbols of rebirth in their dreams and visions. These reveal that knowledge of the unconscious, and meaningfully integrating it into life, renews our vitality and breaks destructive patterns that lead to confusion and suffering.

However, confession must be a personal process, not a matter of letting others make you feel guilty for what you do not personally see as sin. Jung writes:

“The principle is that you have only to confess those sins which you feel to be sins. If you do a thing which everybody else might condemn as a sin but which you yourself feel not to be one, then you need not confess it, then it is outside of the moral question… and the church assumes no authority over it. Therefore so-called sins, particularly those of an erotic nature where one has no feeling of sin whatever, do not have to be confessed.”

Carl Jung, Visions: Notes from the Seminar Given in 1930-1934

This is not to say we should deliberately commit all manner of sins and simply convince ourselves they are acceptable. Rather, Jung points to an inner truth: the feeling of sin comes from our conscience, which is beyond conscious control. If an action does not evoke genuine guilt deep inside us, then it falls outside the realm of personal morality and does not require confession. Of course, this does not apply to the small minority of people who lack a conscience, like psychopaths or remorseless killers.

The Carpocratians, an early Christian Gnostic sect, believed that one must commit sins to be redeemed, because without sin, there is nothing to be redeemed from. They practiced antinomianism, the deliberate breaking of social and moral laws. According to their teaching, the soul must experience all aspects of earthly life, including sin, to fully overcome the material world and ascend to the divine. For them, gnosis—salvation through knowledge and experience—was the path to redemption. In contrast, the Encratites were strict ascetics who rejected all forms of indulgence. They followed a literal and rigorous interpretation of Christ’s example, emphasising purity and self-denial. Their goal was to resist the corrupt material world and attain spiritual perfection through renunciation and discipline.

One has to admit that few things are more uncomfortable than the full confession of one’s sins. No one in his right senses would suppose that, after sincere confession and repentance, he will never sin again. In truth, it is impossible to live without sinning “in thought, word, and deed.” It is not uncommon for someone who obsessively condemns sin and tries to avoid it at all costs to end up not in the Kingdom of Heaven, but in the consulting room of the doctor.

“We ought to avoid sin and occasionally we can; but as experience shows, we fall into sin again at the very next step. Only unconscious and wholly uncritical people can imagine it possible to abide in a permanent state of moral goodness. But because most people are devoid of self-criticism, permanent self-deception is the rule. A more developed consciousness brings the latent moral conflict to light, or else sharpens those opposites which are already conscious. Reason enough to eschew self-knowledge and psychology altogether and to treat the psyche with contempt!”

Carl Jung, C.W. Vol. 10: Civilisation in Transition

The Greatest Sin: Unconsciousness

Jacob Wrestling with the Angel – Gustave Doré

Becoming more conscious is no easy task, as it reveals hidden inner conflicts or intensifies the ones we already know. This discomfort leads some to dismiss the psyche as unreal to escape facing themselves.

In fact, Jung considers unconsciousness the greatest sin because it blocks self-knowledge and prevents us from realising our true nature (the Self or God-image). Similarly, in Hinduism and Buddhism, suffering arises from avidya (meaning, “not to see”, “not to know”, or “ignorance”). And for Socrates, ignorance is the greatest evil, and knowledge the greatest good. The foundational maxim of philosophy is: “Know thyself.” Ignorance is not bliss; it is merely the illusion of peace. While it may provide temporary comfort, in the long run it can lead to the loss of one’s soul. What is repressed in the unconscious does not disappear; it waits, and returns with greater force.

Another danger lies in our ability to deviate from instinct or natural law, what theology calls sin. While this allows for spiritual growth, it comes at a cost: the loss of instinctive certainty, replaced by uncertainty. The problem is consciousness separating from instinct, as the conscious will replaces the natural impulse, and we become disconnected from our true nature.

“The great decisions of human life have as a rule far more to do with the instincts and other mysterious unconscious factors than with conscious will and well-meaning reasonableness. The shoe that fits one person pinches another; there is no recipe for living that suits all cases.”

Carl Jung, Modern Man in Search of a Soul

But why on earth should it be necessary for us to achieve, by hook or by crook, a higher level of consciousness? Jung writes:

“This is truly the crucial question, and I do not find the answer easy. Instead of a real answer I can only make a confession of faith: I believe that, after thousands and millions of years, someone had to realise that this wonderful world of mountains and oceans, suns and moons, galaxies and nebulae, plants and animals, exists. From a low hill in the Athi plains of East Africa I once watched the vast herds of wild animals grazing in soundless stillness, as they had done from time immemorial, touched only by the breath of a primeval world. I felt then as if I were the first man, the first creature, to know that all this is. The entire world round me was still in its primeval state; it did not know that it was. And then, in that one moment in which I came to know, the world sprang into being; without that moment it would never have been. All Nature seeks this goal and finds it fulfilled in man, but only in the most highly developed and most fully conscious man. Every advance, even the smallest, along this path of conscious realisation adds that much to the world. There is no consciousness without discrimination of opposites. This is the paternal principle, the Logos, which eternally struggles to extricate itself from the primal warmth and primal darkness of the maternal womb; in a word, from unconsciousness. Divine curiosity yearns to be born and does not shrink from conflict, suffering, or sin. Unconsciousness is the primal sin, evil itself, for the Logos.”

Carl Jung, C.W. Vol. 9.1: The Archetypes and the Collective Unconscious

It is the act of consciousness that gives the world its meaning and reality. Before that moment, the world simply is, but it does not know itself. Through the conscious man, the universe becomes aware of its own existence. This individual has awakened to both the inner and outer worlds. Only through such a person does the world truly exist in the fullest sense, as something known, witnessed, and made meaningful.

When Adam ate from the tree of knowledge, he was cast out of Paradise into a world of sin and death. But that moment also marked the birth of true consciousness, he gained the knowledge of the two opposites: good and evil. Without sin, there can be no development of consciousness. This is why it is called the felix culpa, the happy fault or fall. Had the first parents not sinned there would have been no fall, and no need for the still greater miracle of redemption.

Without sin there is no repentance, and without repentance no redemption. We also know that without original sin; the redemption of the world could never have come about. But we assiduously avoid asking whether in this very power of evil God might not have placed some special purpose which it is most important for us to know.

Certain Gnostics viewed the creator god as an evil demiurge who made man unconscious. A higher god sent his son as the serpent to awaken man and bring consciousness, thus freeing him from the primal sin of unconsciousness. This marks the beginning of redemption, the start of the process of individuation, which is why the serpent was sometimes equated with Christ. In contrast, the traditional Christian point of view is from the side of collectivity. The creator is good; it is Adam and Eve’s disobedience that is sinful.

Genesis treats the act of becoming conscious as a taboo, as if gaining knowledge violates a sacred boundary. Similar to the Gnostic serpent, Prometheus, who deeply cared for humans, defied the gods by stealing fire and giving it to man, helping humanity to survive, progress, gain knowledge, and thus fully awaken. He also taught the arts and sciences. For this, the gods punished him eternally.

“The development of consciousness is the burden, the suffering, and the blessing of mankind.”

C.G. Jung Speaking: Encounters and Interviews

Each step towards greater consciousness seems to carry a kind of Promethean guilt: something once belonging to the unconscious is seized and subjected to the conscious mind. The one who gains such knowledge undergoes a transformation that sets him apart from others. His consciousness surpasses the collective norm; he attains a godlike insight, yet becomes estranged from humanity. It is this very increase in consciousness that alienates him from others, who have not made the same inner journey. The pain of this isolation is the vengeance of the gods—one is, like Prometheus, bound to the lonely cliffs, forsaken by both God and man. Self-knowledge thus reveals its paradoxical nature: it is both a gift and a burden.

Jung writes:

“Man’s worst sin is unconsciousness, but it is indulged in with the greatest piety even by those who should serve mankind as teachers and examples. When shall we stop taking man for granted in this barbarous manner and in all seriousness seek ways and means to exorcise him, to rescue him from possession and unconsciousness, and make this the most vital task of civilisation?”

Carl Jung, C.W. Vol. 9.1: The Archetypes and The Collective Unconscious

The experience of inner transformation is infinitely more important than political or social reform, both useless in the hands of those who are not at one with themselves. This is a truth which we are forever forgetting, because we are distracted by what is going on around us instead of examining our own heart. Every demagogue exploits this weakness, making great noise about the miserable state of the world, while overlooking the fact that the true root of the problem is man himself.

The psychotherapist cannot simply invoke the law and say, “Thou shalt not.” Modern man is tired of moral lectures about sin and guilt. Burdened by his bad conscience, he wants to know how he can be reconciled with his own nature, how he is to love the enemy in his own heart and call the wolf his brother. The psychologist must weigh possibilities, guided more by instinct and experience than by religious training and education. He recognises that there is something like a felix culpa: a person can be denied not only happiness, but also the very guilt necessary for true wholeness.

Integration comes only when both the light and dark within us are acknowledged and harmonised. Without the experience of the opposites there is no experience of wholeness. Only here, in life on earth, where the opposites clash together, can the general level of consciousness be raised. That seems to be our metaphysical task.

“Whoever can suffer within himself the highest united with the lowest is healed, holy, whole.”

C.G. Jung Letters Vol. I (1906-1950)

The Psychology of Sin

“I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do.” These profound words by St. Paul express the struggle between the desire to do good and the inability to carry it out, due to the power of sin within human nature.